If the federal government can make priests pay for abortion drugs...what next?

Charlie Butts

OneNewsNow.com12/12/2013

Priests for Life is awaiting a court decision to see if the federal government can steamroll over the organization and force elements of ObamaCare on them.

Priests for Life objects to the mandates for contraception and abortion-causing drugs in Obamacare exchanges.

Attorney Rob Muise of the American Freedom Law Center argued the case before D.C. federal Judge Emmet Sullivan.

Musie explains this legal argument: "This contraception mandate and the so-called accommodation for religious organizations, which essentially requires them to authorize their insured to provide contraceptive coverage to their plan participants and beneficiaries, that is contrary to their religious beliefs, and if they don't comply with this mandate they're going to be suffering crippling fines and penalties."

Muise adds that the government's argument that the impact of ObamaCare on religious organizations is only at a minimum is not true and "quite contrary" to what is guaranteed by the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

"Because it's not the role of the judiciary, and certainly not the role of the government, to determine what does or does not violate the religious teachings of the Catholic Church," says the attorney. "And that's the position that the government is taking right now, which is quite offensive and quite contrary to the First Amendment."

He warns if the government gets away with imposing the mandate on a group like Priests for Life, then there is no limit to the government imposing its views on citizens irrespective of their religious beliefs.